There are very few words I can use to describe Super Hexagon. If we were to play word association, the first word that comes to mind is “difficult.” That, in no way, does justice to the game. Others have bandied about the words “most difficult game ever,” but hearing that would cause people to anticipate frustration. That is not the case.

You see, like Super Meat Boy before it, Super Hexagon has that blend of perfect control and steep difficulty that rewards players for their prowess in a way that few games ever do. I never felt like the game was being cheap. There are no leaps of faith or spike traps to be found here. When I died, I knew it was my own fault and not some scripted death.

You play and you learn. You start to notice patterns. You start to react better. You focus better. You move without thinking.

Super Hexagon, beyond a shadow of doubt, is the best proof of concept for conditioning one could ask for. It is merciless from the moment you begin and never relents. It’s not a question of when you fail, as you will surely meet your demise within a matter of seconds. It’s a question of how many times will you fail before you begin to understand it.

It seems so simple in theory. Touch the screen to move left or right and avoid hitting walls. If you break it down further to “don’t get hit,” you’ve been doing this in basically every game you’ve ever played. You start it up, the walls close in, and you have your first moment of panic. You turn too far or you freeze dead in your tracks knowing that death is inevitable. You play, again and again, and make slight progress. You don’t know whether this is real progress or luck, but you’re surviving a little bit longer.

Then, just as you think you’re getting the hang of it around the ten second mark, the speed increases, the tunnel shifts directions, and the colors change. Suddenly, you lose focus and crash once more. You fail, again and again, until things just click together.

The whole point of the game, which is never revealed or explained, is to survive the game mode for one minute’s time.

From the start, there are three levels of difficulty: Hexagon, Hexagoner, and Hexagonest. These modes are labeled hard, harder, and hardest, respectively. It sounds like a joke, and surely it is very tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also not kidding around. Just in case I haven’t made it abundantly clear, Super Hexagon is incredibly difficult.

That is, in turn, what makes Super Hexagon incredibly addictive. Each time you play, it’s as if you learn something new. Sometimes, when a new tunnel sequence is introduced, you react properly and survive. Other times, though, you have no idea what is happening and die time and again. Eventually, you figure out what must be done and survive regularly. However, sometimes, your brain simply becomes overwhelmed with information and seems to give up the ghost.

New to the game? Play on Hexagonest a few times. It’ll make Hexagon easier.

The atmosphere in Super Hexagon is terrific. The few select voice samples sound detached and otherworldly, which is exactly what is needed for the proper effect, and fit well. Each difficulty level has different tunes by Chipzel with beats that match the action on screen. Not since Rez have I played a game that synced so well rhythmically. I wouldn’t go as far as to toss “synesthesia” about when discussing Super Hexagon, but there’s no denying that the music adds to the immersion.

I wondered if my love for Super Hexagon was the equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome for games. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that this is what I grew up doing. I grew up in the arcades, and people like me who remember a time where games were built entirely around the concept of taking your quarters as quickly as possible will be the ones who really appreciate Super Hexagon. Difficult games are comfort food for me, a reminder of why I fell in love with the entirety of gaming in the first place, and Super Hexagon feels like home.

(Super Hexagon is universal, features GameCenter leaderboards, Achievements, and supports widescreen displays. It is available in the App Store and on Google Play. Super Hexagon Version 1.2 was used for this review.)

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